Tufting machine with laterally shifting needle plate



R. T. CARD Jan. 31, 1967 TUFTING MACHINE WITH LATERALLY SHIFTING NEEDLE PLATE Filed Oct. 16, 1963 INVENTOR. RoY T. CARD BY ZZQMJ fgd/ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,301,205 TUFTING MACHINE WITH LATERALLY SIHFTING NEEDLE PLATE Roy T. Card, Chattanooga, Tenn., assignor to The Singer fompany, New York, N.Y.,. a corporation of New ersey p Filed Oct. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 316,663

9 Claims. (Cl. 112-79) The present invention relates to tufting machines and has for an object to provide in tufting machines, new and improved means for shifting the individual yarn ends laterally between the various longitudinal rows, of, pile upon successive pile-forming cycles of the machine.

In the operation of a tufting machine, there are produced in the backing fabric transverse rows of pile, which is the pile produced by the various needles and their respective yarns upon each penetration of the backing fabric, and longitudinal rows of pile, which is the pile produced by any one needle and its yarn upon successive penetrations of the backing fabric. The longitudinal rows of pile formed by the various needles extend generally straight and parallel longitudinally of the backing fabric, although they may be modified by a so-called wave line attachment which shifts the backing fabric sinuously as it is advanced through the machine. One common characteristic of the usual tufted fabric that detracts from the appearance thereof is the so-called corn cob effect which is the noticeable alignment of the pile in the longitudinal rows in a manner resembling the kernels of corn on a cob. This effect is exaggerated where alternate yarns in the fabric are of different color and are raised selectively to produce areas of color so that in effect only the alternate rows of pile are visible in the fabric and the spacing between them is thus increased.

One method of avoiding the corn cob effect in the tufted fabric that has been heretofore developed is a sliding needle bar, as disclosed in the United States patent of Bryant et al. No. 3,026,830, March 27, 1962. In a sliding needle bar mechanism, the needle bar is shifted laterally as it is reciprocated whereby upon successive penetrations, the individual needles will cooperate with with different individual hooks. However, with the sliding needle bar mechanism, aside from the problems arising from inertia and the additional mechanism required to move the needle bar laterallyat the same time that it is being reciprocated, there is a problem with gauging the parts since upon successive stitches, each needle cooperates with different hooks and each hook cooperates with different needles and thus, each needle and each hook must be gauged relatively to a plurality of different hooks and needles.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive yet dependable, durable and efficient mechanism for effecting lateral shifting of the individual yarns of a tufted fabric between various longitudinal rows of pile for the purpose of avoiding the corn cob effect and at the same time, to provide for further pattern variations in a tufted fabric.

In accordance with this invention, the above objects have been attained by the provision of means for laterally shifting the needle plate of the tufting machine, together with means for securing the backing fabric to the needle plate for unitary lateral movement while providing for longitudinal movement of the backing fabric relatively to the needleplate. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for securing the fabric to the needle plate comprises the needle plate fingers between which the needles pass as they penetrate the fabric, and which, by virtue of the pile disposed and held between the fingers, effectively secures the backing fabric to the needle plate for lateral movement while providing for longitudinal 3,301,205 Patented Jan. 31, 1967 movement of the fabric toward the free ends of the fingers.

Having in mind the above and other objects that will be evident from an understanding of this disclosure, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements ofparts as illustrated in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention which is hereinafter set forth in such detail as to enable those skilled in the art readily to understand the function, operation, construe tion and advantages of it when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 7

FIGQl is..a fragmentary sectional view of a tufting machine embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of thepile forming elements of the machine of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plain view of the needle plate of the machine of FIG. 1 with broken away portions of a tufted fabric in positionthereon.

FIG. 4- is'a fragmentary view in perspective of a portion of the machine of FIG. 1 and illustrating the means for feeding the backing fabric.

With reference to the drawings there is illustrated a portion of the frame 1 of a generally conventional tufting machine such as disclosed for example in the United States patent of Card No. 2,935,037. The frame 1 includes a head 2 in which is journaled a driven main shaft 3. On the main shaft 3 are a plurality of eccentrics 4, only one of which is shown, each of which eccentrics is connected by a link 5 to a push rod 6 mounted vertically for endwise sliding in the lower portion of the head 2. The lower ends of the push rod 6 areconnected to a needle bar 7 which carries a plurality of yarn-carrying needles 8 that are substantially aligned laterally of the machine. Thus, upon rotation of the main shaft 3 endwise reciprocation is imparted to the needles 8 for penetrating the backing fabrics and to project loops of yarn therethrough.

The frame 1 also includes a bed 9 having a needle plate 10 which includes a plurality of fingers 11 seated and secured in grooves in the needle plate 10 and extending in cantilever fashion therefrom toward the free ends 12. Beneath the needle plate 10 there is provided in the bed 9 an oscillatory hook shaft 13 carrying a plurality of hooks 14, each of which is adapted to cooperate individ ually with one of the needles 8 to seize the loop of yarn presented by the needle and to hold the same as the needle is withdrawn.

'The backing fabric B is advanced longitudinally across theneedle plate 10 in the direction of the arrow A, FIGS. 3 and 4, by a conventional feed means, such as disclosed for example in the patent of Beasley, No. 2,840,019;

' Briefly, as illustrated in FIG. 4, this means comprises a penetrate the backing fabric.

descendto penetrate thelbacking fabric to insert loops of yarn therein, which loops are held 'by the hooks 14 as the needles are withdrawn. The backing fabric B is supported by the needle plate 10 and fingers 11 against the thrust of the needles as the needles descend and penetrate the fabric. The number and spacing of the fingers 11- is such that each needle 8 descends'between a pair of the fingers 11. With equally spaced needles-as shown, the fingers 11 are also equally spaced. The needles dc scend between the fingers 11 adjacentto the edge of the needle plate from which the fingers 11 extend and remote from the free ends 12 of the fingers. As the backing fabric B is advanced in the direction of the arrow A, the pile which is inserted into the backing fabric between the fingers '11, is advanced toward the free ends 12 of the fingers 11 and outwardly therefrom. The yarn from any one of the needles 8 thus, upon successive penetrations of the needle,'forms a row of pile longitudinally of the fabric B, the spacing between the pile in the row being determined by the distance that the fabric B is advanced while the needles are withdrawn from the fabric B.

The needle plate 10 is mounted on the bed 9 for sliding movement laterally of the machine, the needle plate being guided by a bar 17 secured to the bed 9 and abutting against the edge of the needle plate opposite the edge from which the fingers 11 extend, and shoulder screws 18 that extend downwardly into the bed 9 through stepped slots 19 in the needle plate 10. At the one end of the needle plate 10 there is provided an upstanding lug 20 to which is pivotally connected one end of a link 21, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to the lower end of a cam follower lever 22 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends at 23 on the head 2. On the upper end of the lever 22 there is a stud 24 which extends into a cam track 25 of a ca m26, which stud thus constitutes the cam follower. The cam 26 is mounted on a shaft 27 journaled on a bracket 28 on the head 2 and is-rotated by a worm wheel 29 on the shaft 27 that is driven by a Worm 30 on a countershaft 31 which in turn is driven by a chain 32 entrained about a sprocket 33 on the: countershaft 31 and a sprocket 34 on the main shaft 3 of the machine.

The cam track 25 is formed with concentric or rest portions 35 disposed at varying radii from the axis of the shaft 27 with active portions 36 intermediate of and smoothly connecting the rest portions 35. The cam 26 is timed such that the stud 24 tracks a concentric portion 35 while the needles are down and will track an active portion 36 when the needles are withdrawn. When the stud 24 is in cooperation with a concentric portion 35, no motion is imparted thereto and the needle plate 10 is thus at rest. When the stud 24 is moved by an active portion 36, which is while the needles are withdrawn, the needle plate 10 is shifted laterally to a new position determined by the rest portion 35 which the stud 24 then tracks. The increment of motion imparted to the needle plate 10 by the active portions 36 of the cam track 25 is a multiple of and preferably, to insure responsiveness of the mechanism, equal to the spacing between the fingers 11 so that the needles 8 will always descend between the fingers.

Over and in spaced relation to the fabric B is a presser foot 37, which, in the usual fashion is carried by the head 2 (by means not shown), and which 'is adjusted just to clear the backing fabric B. Normally the pressc-r foot,- 37 acts to prevent the backing fabric B from following the needles as the needles are withdrawn. In the present machine, the presser. foot also functions to hold the backing fabric B'down on the fingers 11 and thus holds the pile between the fingers 11. In this manner the backing fabric B is secured to the needle plate 10 for unitary lateral movement therewith while providing for longitudinal movement of the fabric relatively to the fingers by the engagemenhof the fingers with the pile disposed between them, the fingers 11 being in contact with the backing fabric B and the pile depending from the backing fabric in the space between two of the fingers; The fingers 11 are sufliciently long to hold several previously formed pile tufts between them, so that as the'needle plate is moved laterally, the fingers engage against several pile tufts. It has been found that the grip thus obtained is sufficient to couple the backing fabric B to the needle plate 10 for limited lateral movement therewith. Since the fabric is taut between the rolls 15v and 16, this lateral movement is against the tension in the backing fabric, and is accommodated by the deflect-ion of the backing fabric B, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The grip between the fingers and the backing fabric is more than adequate in normal operation. A positive connection between the backing fabric and the needle plate may be obtained by a freely running spiked roller, the spikes thereof being arranged in bands about the periphery of the roller with the spikes in the individual bands adapted to enter between the fingers 11 or a groove in the needle plate 10.

The present invention is useful not only with respect to loop pile tufting machines, but also, to a limited extent with respect to cut pile tufting machines. Also, the invention is not limited to a tufting machine :in which the needles are alined but is also applicable to one in which the needles are staggered. It is contemplated that such arrangements are included within the scope of the claims.

In addition to the elimination of the corn cob effect, the present invention permits various pattern effects in the tufted fabric by, for example, using different color yarns in different needles, which yarns are shifted between the various longitudinal rows of pile and may fur ther be raised and lowered by a conventional pattern attachment, which is a pattern controlled yarn, feeding mechanism that provides for making high and low pile loops, so that any yarn in one row of pile can be made short between two rows of long pile and thus be hidden in the fabric.

, Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of my invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included, within the scope of the appended claims.

, Having thus described the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is: I

1. In a tufting machine, a plurality of needles arranged substantially on a line laterally of the machine, a needle plate for supporting a backing fabric relative to said needles, substantially laterally immobile means for feed ing the backing fabric longitudinally of the machine across said needle plate, means for actuating said needles to. penetrate the needle plate and the backing fabric thereon and to insert loops of yarn into said backing fabric upon each penetration of the needles, and means for shifting the backing fabric laterally of the machine and relatively, to said needles comprising means for supporting said needle plate for lateral movement, means for imparting lateral movement to said needle plate, and means for securing the backing fabric to said needle plate for lateral movement therewith while providing for longitudinal movement of the backing fabric relatively to said needle plate.

2. In a tufting machine, a plurality of needles arranged substantiallyin a line laterally of the machine, a needle plate for supporting a backing fabric relative to said needles, means for feeding the backing fabric longitudinally of the machine across said needle plate, means for substantially preventing lateral motion of said means for feeding fabric, means for actuating said needles to penetrate the needle plate and the backing fabric thereon and to insert loops of yarn into said backing fabric upon each penetration of the needles, and patterned means for shifting the backing fabric laterally of the machine and relatively to said needles comprising means for supporting said needle plate for lateral movement, means for imparting lateral movement to said needle plate when the needles are withdrawn from the backing fabric, and means for securing the backing fabric to said needle plate for lateral movement therewith while providing for longitudinal movement of the backing fabric relatively to said needle plate.

3. In a tufting machine in accordance with claim '2, in which said means for imparting lateral movement to said needle plate comprises a cam defining the desired movements of said needle plate, a cam follower for tracking said cam, and means connecting said cam follower to said needle plate.

4. In a tufting machine, a plurality of uniformly spaced needles arranged substantially in a line laterally of the machine, a needle plate for supporting a backing fabric relative to said needles, means that is substantially fixedly positioned laterally for feeding the backing fabric longitudinally of the machine across said needle plate, means for actuating said needles to penetrate the needle plate and the backing fabric thereon and to insert loops of yarn into the backing fabric upon ench penetration of the needles, and patterned means for shifting the backing fabric laterally of the machine and relative to said needles in increments corresponding to the spacing between said needles whereby the loops of yarn inserted into the backing fabric by the needles will be disposed in rows longitudinally of the backing fabric comprising means for supporting said needle plate for lateral movement, means for imparting lateral movement to said needle plate, and means for securing the backing fabric to said needle plate for lateral movement herewith while providing for longitudinal movement of the backing fabric rela tively to said needle plate.

5. In a tufting machine, a plurality of needles arranged substantially in a line laterally of the machine, a needle plate for sup-porting a backing fabric relative to said needles and having a plurality of fingers extending from said needle plate to define free ends and being spaced corresponding to the spacing of said needles, means that is substantially fixed laterally of said machine for feeding the backing fabric longitudinally of the machine across said needle plate in the direction toward the free ends of said fingers, means for actuating said needles to penetrate between said fingers remote from the free ends thereof and to insert loops of yarn into the backing fabric and between said fingers upon each penetration of said needles, means for mounting said needle plate for movement laterally of the machine, and means for imparting lateral movement to said needle plate.

6. In a tufting machine in accordance with claim 5, means disposed over and in spaced relation to said backing fabric to hold said backing fabric close to said needle plate.

7. In a tufting machine, a plurality of needles arranged substantially in a line laterally of the machine, a needle plate for supporting a backing fabric relative to said needles and having a plurality of fingers extending from said needle plate to define free ends and being spaced corresponding to the spacing of said needles, means substantially fixedly positioned laterally of the machine for feeding the backing fabric longitudinally of the machine across said needle plate in the direction toward the free ends of said fingers, means for actuating said needles to penetrate between said fingers remote from the free ends thereof and to insert loops of yarn into the backing fabric and between said fingers upon each penetration of said needles, means for mounting said needle plate for movement laterally of the machine, and patterned means operative when said needles are Withdrawn from between said fingers for imparting lateral movement to said needle plate.

8. In a tufting machine in accordance with claim 7 in which said means for imparting lateral movement to said needle plate comprises a cam defining the desired movements of said needle plate, a cam follower for tracking said cam, and means connecting said cam follower to said needle plate.

9. In a tufting machine, a plurality of uniformly spaced needles arranged substantially in a line laterally of the machine, a needle plate for supporting a backing fabric relative to said needles and having a plurality of fingers extending from said needle plate to define free ends and being uniformly spaced a distance corresponding to the spacing of said needles, means substantially laterally fixed of said machine for feeding the backing fabric longitudinally of the machine across said needle plate in the direction toward the free ends of said fingers, means for actuating said needles to penetrate between said fingers remote from the free ends thereof and to insert loops of yarn into the backing fabric and between said fingers upon each penetration of said needles, means for mounting said needle plate for movement laterally of the machine, and patterned means operative when said needles are withdrawn from between said fingers for imparting lateral movement to said needle plate in increments corresponding to the spacing of said needles and fingers whereby said needles may descend upon successive stitches between different ones of said fingers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,019,748 2/1962 Card 11279.6 3,100,466 8/1963 Ledford 1l279 3,109,395 11/1963 Batty 112-79 3,203,388 8/1965 Parlin 1l2410 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

M. I. COLITZ, I. R. BOLER, Assistant Examiners. 

1. IN A TUFTING MACHINE, A PLURALITY OF NEEDLES ARRANGED SUBSTANTIALLY ON A LINE LATERALLY OF THE MACHINE, A NEEDLE PLATE FOR SUPPORTING A BACKING FABRIC RELATIVE TO SAID NEEDLES, SUBSTANTIALLY LATERALLY IMMOBILE MEANS FOR FEEDING THE BACKING FABRIC LONGITUDINALLY OF THE MACHINE ACROSS SAID NEEDLE PLATE, MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID NEEDLES TO PENETRATE THE NEEDLE PLATE AND THE BACKING FABRIC THEREON AND TO INSERT LOOPS OF YARN INTO SAID BACKING FABRIC UPON EACH PENETRATION OF THE NEEDLES, AND MEANS FOR SHIFTING THE BACKING FABRIC LATERALLY OF THE MACHINE AND RELATIVELY TO SAID NEEDLES COMPRISING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID NEEDLE PLATE FOR LATERAL MOVEMENT, MEANS FOR IMPARTING LATERAL MOVEMENT TO SAID NEEDLE PLATE, AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE BACKING FABRIC TO SAID NEEDLE PLATE FOR LATERAL MOVEMENT THEREWITH WHILE PROVIDING FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE BACKING FABRIC RELATIVELY TO SAID NEEDLE PLATE. 